Engine-starter.



i H. E. VAN NESS.

ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION man ram/16.1911.-

"Pmemed Feb. 5,19%

l t '1 Y E. ,V HESS, OF JEJLMIRA, NEW YORK, ASSTGNOR T ECLIPSE MACHINE (WM- NE YORK, A CORPOJF;

ATION OF NEW YOE.

ENGINE-ST a: m

il,25,3d2.

. To all whom it may concern;

]Be it known that I, HENRY 1E. VAN Nuss, a citizen of-the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine- Starters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an engine starter such as exemplified in patents heretofore .issued to Vincent Bendix, for instance Patent No. 1,125,935, dated Janua 26, 1915, and Patent No. 1,172,864, date February 22, 1916, which starter is characterized by a prime mover such as an electric motor and a transmission or drive for transmitting the power of such motor, bymeans of a rotatable screw shaft and a pinion mounted thereon, to a'member of the engine to be started, such as the fly wheel. This particular drive comprises a screw shaft operated directly or indirectly by the motor and a pinion screw-threaded on the shaft and1 having longitudinal movement therewit 1.

My invention pertains to means for preventing creeping movement of the pinion on the screw shaft due to vibration of the automobile on which such engine starters are commonly employed, such means being arranged to prevent any possible slight rotation of the pinion or shaft which might advance such pinion into contact with the fly wheel and thereby cause a clashing or rasping sound. The means constituting my invention are so designed as not to interfere in any manner with the ordinary or normal operation of the drive.

In the drawing Figure 1 is an elevation of a drive showing my invention incorporated therein; Fig. 2 a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 a detail view.

The general construction of the drive is the same as shown in the atents aforesaid and it will therefore be su cient to say that ,the same comprises in connection with the extended armature shaft 1 of an electric motor indicated at A, a rotatable hollow screw shaft 2, a pinion 3, screw-threaded upon the shaft and adapted to mesh with the teeth ,4 of the fly wheel 4, a coil spring 5 constituting the yielding driving connection between the collar 6 secured to the armature or driving shaft 1 by the pin or bolt 7, and a bolt orstud 8 which screws into the en- Epeoification of ILettera Patent.

Patented rep.

Application filed May 16, 1917. serial No. 168,952.

largement 2 of the screw shaft. The

pinion'3 is shown in the drawings in its retracted or home position. When the armature shaft and consequently the screw shaft is rotated, this pinion is advanced automatically in a direction longitudinally of the screw haft and into mesh with the fly wheel teeth. This longitudinal movement is stopped by the contact of the pinion against .the stop-nut or collar 9 which is secured to v spring and mounted in one of the threads 2' of the screw shaft in such manner that it will project slightly beyondthe face of such thread and impart a yielding resistance to the pinion when the groove in the internal bore thereof comes into contact therewith. In the present instance this spring is a short wire loosely retained at its ends within a slot 11 which runs longitudinally of such thread and which communicate with end holes or recesses 11 into which the free ends of the spring 10 enter.

In case of'any creeping movement of the pinion, such movement w1ll be stopped when the pinion meets the yieldin resistance offered by the spring, which resistance takes effect before the pinion has crept far enough to come into contact with the fly wheel. This resistance is rather slight but sufficient to stop the creeping movement and yet not suflicient to interfere with the positive longitudinal advancement of the pinion in the regular operation of the drive. It will be understood that the free ends of the spring or wire are held loosely in the holes in the thread, so that while the spring normally projects slightly above the surface of the thread it will be forced into the slot when the pinion is positively advanced, at which time .theholes properly accommodate the ends of the springs in their endwise movements.

I claim:

1. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a threaded shaft, a

. the combination the combination of a vwith the pinion to prevent creeping thereo pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal move ment thereof, and means mounted on one of the thread of such shaft and coacting with the pinion to prevent creeping thereof.

' In a drive of the character described, the combination of a threaded shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on one of the threads of such shaft and coactin 7 such means COIIIPIlSlIlg a spring projecting slightly beyond the surface of such thread.

3. In a drive of the character described, of a threaded shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on one of the threads of. such shaft and coactin with the pinion to prevent creeping thereof, such means comprisin a spring in the form of a wire projecting s ightly beyond the surface of such thread, and the said thread having a slot to receive such wire.

4. In a drive of the character described, threaded shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on one of the threads of such shaft and coactin with the pinion to prevent creeping thereo such means comprising a spring in the form of a wire projecting s ightl beyond the surface of such thread, and sai thread having holes to loosely receive the free ends of the wire.

5. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a threaded shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on one of the threads of such shaft and coactin with the pinion to prevent creeping thereo such means comprisin a spring in the form of wire projectin s ightly beyond the surface of such threa and said thread having a slot and holes at the ends of such slots to receive the wire.

6. In a drive of the character described, the combination of a threaded shaft, a pinion screw-threaded thereon for rotary movement therewith and longitudinal movement thereof, and means mounted on one of the threads of such shaft and coacting with the pinion to prevent creeping thereof, said thread being located intermediate the threaded shaft to stop the said creeping movement in an early stage.

HENRY E. VAN NESS. 

